Englland ffanss sshaken...... butt nott ssttiirrrred
England fans were shaking and feared the worst on Tuesday night after the Colombian goalkeeper saved Henderson's effort (see these Benidorm fans' reaction above) - but two saves by new England hero Pickford, added to Dier's winning shot, put the same fans
Following the results of the eight last sixteen ties, the lineup for the quarter-finals of the World Cup is as follows: (1) France v. Uruguay, 6 July (4pm) (2) Belgium v. Brazil 6 July (8pm) (3) England v. Sweden 7 July (4pm) (4) Russia v. Croatia 7 July (8pm)
As all football, followers know, two of the greatest goal scorers of all-time – Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - will not feature again in Russia, nor will the 2010 champions Spain.
Three-time winners Argentina were beaten 4-3 in a thrilling contest by France for whom teenage sensation Kylian Mbatti scored twice… Portugal were defeated 2-1 by Uruguay who’s two-goal hero was Edinson Cavani… and Spain, despite having 75 per-cent of the play, were held 1-1 by host nation Russia, only to lose 4-3 in the ensuring penalty shootout. Home goalkeeper Igor Afinkeev became a national hero overnight by saving two Spanish spot-kicks.
England beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties (after a 1-1 draw) in the last game in the round of 16… Belgium gained a last-gasp 3-2 win over Japan… while the favourites Brazil saw off Mexico 2-0.
So far there have been 146 goals scored in the 56 games played… with many more to come. A record 20+ penalties have been awarded and as yet only three red cards have been brandished, while the VAR has now been brought into action over 100 times.
Meanwhile, Uruguay’s Oscar Tabarez, aged 71, is the oldest manager ever to take charge of a country in a World Cup finals tournament… and England’s Harry Kane (with six goals) is well on his way to winning the Golden Boot.
Diary: The two semi-finals will be played on July 10 and 11 in St. Petersburg and Moscow respectively, with final taking place on July 15, also in Moscow (5pm kick-off).